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Count Ulrich of Lindburg, by W.H.G Kingston CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE Count Ulrich of Lindburg, by W.H.G Kingston The Project Gutenberg EBook of Count Ulrich of Lindburg, by W.H.G Kingston This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Count Ulrich of Lindburg A Tale of the Reformation in Germany Author: W.H.G Kingston Release Date: October 25, 2007 [EBook #23191] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COUNT ULRICH OF LINDBURG *** Count Ulrich of Lindburg, by W.H.G Kingston Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England Count Ulrich of Lindburg by W.H.G Kingston CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER ONE On the banks of the river Saal, in Merseburg, forming part of Saxony, at the time of which we speak, governed by the aged and excellent Elector Frederick, stood the Castle of Lindburg It was one of those feudal piles of the Middle Ages, impregnable to the engines of ancient warfare, but which were destined to crumble before the iron shots with which cannon assailed them, as the system they represented was compelled to succumb to the light of that truth which the Gospel was then diffusing over the greater part of Europe Ulrich, Count von Lindburg, or the Knight of Lindburg, as he was often called, sat in a room in his Castle, with his arm resting on a table and a book before him, at which, however, his eyes seldom glanced; his looks were thoughtful and full of care He had engaged in much hard fighting in his younger days, and now all he wished for was rest and quiet, though the state of the times gave him but little hope of enjoying them In his own mind, too, he was troubled about many things Four years before the time at which he is introduced to the reader, he had visited Worms, during the time the Diet, summoned by the Emperor Charles the Fifth, was sitting, and was among those who found their way into the great hall where the Emperor and the chief princes, bishops, and nobles of the land were sitting, when Dr Martin Luther, replied to the chancellor of Treves, the orator of the Diet, who demanded whether he would retract the opinions put forth in numerous books he had published and sermons he had preached "Since your most serene majesty and your high mightinesses require from me a clear, simple, and precise answer, I will give you one, and it is this: I cannot submit my fate either to the Pope or to the councils, because it is clear as the day that they have frequently erred and contradicted each other Unless, therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience." And then, looking round on that assembly before which he stood, and which held his life in its hands, he said, "HERE I STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER MAY GOD HELP ME! AMEN!" The assembly were thunderstruck Many of the princes found it difficult to conceal their admiration; even the emperor exclaimed, "This monk speaks with an intrepid heart and unshaken courage." Truly he did This is the weakness of God, which is stronger than man God had brought together these kings and these prelates publicly to confound their wisdom These bold words had had also a deep effect on the Knight of Lindburg, and he kept meditating on them as he rode homeward towards the north Could it, then, be possible that the lowly monk the peasant's son should be right, and all those great persons, who wished to condemn him, wrong? Was that faith, in which he himself had been brought up, not the true one? Was there a purer and a better? He must consult Father Nicholas Keller, his confessor, and hear what he had to say on the subject The Knight carried out his intention Father Nicholas was puzzled; scarcely knew what answer to make It was a dreadful thing to differ with the Church to rebel against the Pope Dr Martin was a learned man, but he opined that he was following too closely in the steps of John Huss, and the Knight, his patron, knew that they led to the stake He had no wish that any one under his spiritual charge should go there As to the Scriptures, he had read but very small portions of them, and he could not tell how far Dr Martin's opinions were formed from them The Knight was not satisfied He asked Father Nicholas to explain what was the Church, and if it was not founded on the Scriptures, on what was it founded? Father Nicholas replied that it was founded on Peter, and that the popes were Peter's successors, and that therefore the Church was founded on the Pope The Knight remarked that from what he had heard of Peter he must have been a very different sort of person to Leo the Tenth, and he asked what we knew about Peter, and indeed the other apostles, except through the Scriptures? Father Nicholas, shaking his head at so preposterous a question, replied, "Through tradition." The Knight asked, "What is tradition?" Father Nicholas hesitated coughed hemmed and then said, "My son, tradition is tradition! And now let us change the subject, it is becoming dangerous." The Knight was not yet satisfied, and he determined to look more particularly into the matter When, therefore, his son Eric came home, and expressed a strong desire to migrate to Wittemburg, that he might CHAPTER ONE pursue his studies under the learned professors of that University, Drs Martin Luther, Melancthon, Jerome Schurff, Jonas Armsdorff, Augustin Schurff, and others, he made no objection Dame Margaret, his wife, however, and Father Nicholas, loudly protested against Eric's going among such a nest of heretics "He will be perverted," they exclaimed; "he will share the fate of Huss." "I have promised him that he shall have his will, and perhaps he will be able to come back and tell us the meaning of tradition," answered the Knight, with a peculiar look at Father Nicholas "There are, besides, two or three other things about which I want him to gain information for me." Dame Margaret knew from experience that when the knight, who was an old soldier and wont to rule in his own house, said a thing, he meant it She therefore held her peace, and it was finally arranged that Eric should forthwith set off for Wittemburg Dame Margaret was a very well-meaning woman She could not prevent her son from going to the heretical University, but she hoped by her admonitions and warnings that she might prevent him from imbibing the dangerous principles which she understood were taught there She consulted Father Nicholas on the subject; indeed she never failed to consult him on all subjects, temporal as well as spiritual, connected with her family, so that the father had a good deal of influence in the household He did not give her any great hopes of success "With all respect be it spoken of a son of yours, Eric has ever been obstinate and dull-headed, and turned a deaf ear to all my ghostly counsels and exhortations Very like his father, the knight, I regret to say," he observed; "however, there can be no harm in warning him Tell him all I have told you about that heresiarch, Dr Martin, and if he believes what you say, you may thus have the happiness of counteracting the effects of the evil and abominable instructions he will receive." This was a bright idea Father Nicholas had been accustomed to say a good many hard things of Dr Luther and his friends The plan must succeed While, like a good mother as she really wished to be, Dame Margaret was preparing Eric's shirts and hosen, a new cloak, and other things for his journey, she sent for her son that she might talk to him She was alone; Eric kissed her hand affectionately, as he entered, and stood respectfully before her-"You are going away for a long period from your father and me, and from our esteemed Father Nicholas, and you will be exposed to countless perils and dangers, my son," she began "You have a desire to go among those people, holding new-fangled doctrines, for the sake of the novelty and excitement; that is but natural, so I scarcely blame you; but beware, my son, this Dr Martin himself is, I hear, a wild, unstable character, a roisterer and wine-bibber, who desires to overthrow our holy Father, the Pope, for the sake of ruling, by his wicked incantations and devices, in his stead." "Others speak very differently of him, my mother," answered Eric, humbly; "but I shall know more about him when I have been to Wittemburg and heard what he and his friends have to say for themselves." "Alas, it may be too late when you once get into his toils," sighed Dame Margaret "They say that he has a compact with the Evil One, and he it is who gives him the wonderful power he possesses over men's minds and makes them oppose our Father, the Pope, and our holy mother Church." "I have not heard that Dr Martin Luther has been guilty of any deeds such as those in which the Evil One especially takes delight, and we must judge of people by the works they perform," answered Eric, in the gentle tone which his affectionate respect for his mother induced him to employ "I know that Dr Martin is a learned man; he desires to introduce learning and a pure literature into our fatherland, and he is moreover an earnest seeker after the truth, and has sincerely at heart the eternal interests of his fellow-men He is bold and brave CHAPTER ONE because he believes his cause to be righteous and favoured by God That is the account I have heard of him; I shall know whether it is the true one when I get to Wittemburg." "They say that he preaches that the convents should be thrown open, and the priests allowed to marry, because he himself wants to take a wife They say that the motives for all he does are very evident," continued Dame Margaret, not listening to her son's remark "I should have thought that had he been plotting from the first to oppose the power of the Pope for the sake of marrying he would have taken a wife long ago There has been nothing to hinder him Certainly not many `pfaffen' would have been so scrupulous He himself has remained single, and is a man, several of my friends who know him assure me, singularly abstemious; often he goes a whole day or more without food, and his usual meals are of the simplest kind It is true that when he mixes with his fellow-men his heart expands and he does not refuse the wine cup or the generous food placed before him His is no churlish spirit to turn away from the good things kind Heaven has provided for man God sends us trials, but He intends us to enjoy what He has in His loving mercy given us in this world, and never throws temptations to sin in our way, as some foolish teachers would make us believe But as to Dr Martin's mode of life, I shall be able to tell you more about it when I have been to Wittemburg." Dame Margaret sighed deeply, she had not yet quite said her say, that is, what Father Nicholas had told her to say "My son," she continued, "I am informed that evil people are saying many wrong things against our Holy Father, the Pope; that he has no business to call himself head of the Christian Church; that he is an extravagant, worldly man; that many predecessors have been as bad as bad could be Indeed I cannot repeat all the dreadful things said of him." "But suppose, dear mother, that all the things said of him are true; suppose that Saint Peter never was at Rome, that he did not found a Church there, and was never Bishop of Rome; that designing men, for their own ambitious ends, have assumed that he was, and pretended to be his successors, and finally, finding the success of their first fraud, have claimed the right of ruling over the whole Christian world But, however, when I go to Wittemburg I shall better know the truth of these things, and if they are calumnies, learn how to refute them." "Oh! my son! my son! how can you even venture to utter such dreadful heresies?" shrieked Dame Margaret, even before Eric had finished speaking; then, hearing his last words, she added, "Of course they are calumnies; of course you will refute them, and you will come back here, after you have completed your studies, and be the brave opponent of this Dr Martin and all his schismatic crew But, my son, one of my chief objects in sending for you was to bestow on you a most invaluable relic, which will prove a sure and certain charm against all the dangers, more especially the spiritual ones, by which you may be surrounded Neither Dr Martin nor even the Spirit of Evil himself will be able to prevail against you if you firmly trust to it, Father Nicholas assures me; for it contains not only a bit of the true cross, but a part of one of Saint Peter's fishing-hooks, and a portion of the thumb-nail of Saint James Let me put it round your neck, my son, and thus armed I shall, with confidence, see you go forth to combat with the world, the flesh and the devil." Dame Margaret spoke seriously; she was merely giving expression to the common belief in relics entertained, not only by ignorant peasants but by the highest nobility and the great mass of the population, a belief encouraged by the priests, who thus secured a sure market for their own manufactures The excellent Elector Frederick, who became one of the great champions of the Reformation, had a short time before employed several dignitaries of the Church to collect relics for him, and had purchased a considerable number for very large sums In the war between France and Spain, every Spanish soldier who was killed or taken prisoner was found to have a relic round his neck with a certificate from the priest who had sold it, that it would render his body invulnerable to the bullets or swords of the enemy There is a very considerable sale of such articles, even to the present day, in Roman Catholic countries Eric was therefore well aware of the value his mother would attach to the one she desired to bestow on him, yet he had already imbibed too large a portion of truth CHAPTER ONE from the writings of Dr Luther and others, and the portions of Scripture he had read, not to look on the imposition with the contempt it deserved; still he was too dutiful a son to treat his mother's offer with disrespect He thought a minute or more, and then replied slowly-"I will not take your relic, mother, for I am already provided with a protection which will be sufficient for all the dangers I am likely to encounter I will say nothing now as to the relic When I have been to Wittemburg I may be able to tell you something more of its actual value." Nothing that Dame Margaret could say would induce him to take the article On repeating the conversation with her son to Father Nicholas, she expressed a hope that Eric was not possessed of an evil spirit, which had induced him so pertinaciously to refuse the proffered gift Father Nicholas bit his lip, frowned, said he could not say, it might possibly be an embryo one, such as had clearly entered into Dr Martin and many other persons at that time It would certainly be safe to exorcise him, but the difficulty would be to get so obstinate a young man as Eric to submit to the operation He would think about it, and try and devise some means by which the ceremony might be performed without the patient having the power to resist This promise afforded a considerable amount of comfort to Dame Margaret, who had felt very uneasy ever since the idea had seized her, for she could not otherwise account for her son's refusing so inestimable a gift The last night Eric slept at home he had a dream, at least he was not quite certain whether he was awake or dreaming He opened his eyes and saw a light in the room, and his mother and Father Nicholas, and his sister Laneta, and his father's old henchman, Hans Bosch, who had often carried him in his arms, when he was a child, and still looked on him in the light of one, standing round his bed His mother held a basin, and Hans a book, and the priest a censer, which he was swinging to and fro, and muttering words, in very doggerel Latin, while ever and anon, he sprinkled him with water from the basin What Laneta was about, he could not exactly make out, but he thought that she had a box in her hands, which she held open Had he not been very sleepy and tired he would have jumped up and ascertained whether what he saw was a vision or a reality; but, shutting his eyes, he went off soundly to sleep again, and sometime afterwards, when he awoke, the room was in darkness and he was alone His mother, the next morning, regarded him with much more contented looks than her countenance had worn for the last day or two It may as well be here mentioned that Eric discovered during his journey the precious relic, which he had declined taking, fastened into the collar of his cloak He sighed and said to himself-"Then, poor mother, let it be; should I take it out and should any misfortune happen to me she will say it was for want of the relic; if it remains and I receive damage I may the better prove to her the worthlessness of the thing No wonder the sheep go astray when they have so ignorant a pastor as Father Nicholas." CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER TWO Eric, on the morning of his departure from home, had a private leave-taking with his father The Knight, though an old soldier, was a peaceably-disposed man, yet in spite of all he could he had foes and troubles A certain Baron Schenk, of Schweinsburg, unjustly claimed rights over a portion of the Knight's property It was clearly impossible for the Knight to accede to the Count's demands, for had he done so fresh ones would instantly have been made until the Count might have claimed possession of Lindburg itself The Count had often threatened to come and insist on his claims at the point of the sword, but the Knight had reminded him that as two people could play at that game he might find that he gained nothing by the move Still he occasionally received a message which showed him that the Count had not forgotten his threats, and this always troubled him, not because he feared his enemy, but because he wished to be quiet and at peace with all his fellow-men He had a long talk with his son and gave him much good advice The two understood each other thoroughly "My son," he said, "you are going forth into the world; and will meet with a great variety of characters Treat your fellow-men with a kindly regard and them all the good in your power, but put your whole trust in God alone While you cling to Him He will never forsake you I know that you are honest and single-hearted Do that, and I have no fear for you Take my blessing, Eric Write when you can and tell me all about Dr Martin and his companions I wish that I were young enough to go to the University with you; I would give much once more to hear that man speak as he did at Worms." Eric set forth not as a poor scholar, on foot, but as the son of a Knight and a Noble of the land, on horseback, accompanied by Hans Bosch, who led a sumpter-horse loaded with his baggage Both were armed, as was necessary in those times, with swords and pistols; the latter being somewhat large and unwieldy weapons Eric, as befitted his station, had learned the use of his sword, and Hans was an old soldier who had grasped a pike for nearly half a century Hans and Eric had always been good friends The old soldier was not ignorant of what was going on in the world, but he had not as yet made up his mind which side to choose He suspected the bias of his master, and that of his mistress was very evident As yet, however, he clung to the old opinions Eric, though high-spirited and manly, was thoughtful and grave above his years, and Hans respected his opinions accordingly He had before been at the University of Erfurth, but the fame of Wittemburg had reached him, and, what had still more influence, several of the books written at Wittemburg, and he had been seized with a strong desire to migrate thither Hans could not read himself, but he was inquisitive He plied his young master with questions, to which Eric very willingly made replies "Then you put no faith in the Pope, nor believe that he is the only rightful ruler of the Church?" observed Hans in reply to a remark made by his young master "I have been led to doubt the supremacy he claims from all I have read," answered Eric modestly "More especially I believe that he is not a descendant of the Apostle Peter from what I have read in my Greek Testament I there find that Saint Paul, on one occasion, thus wrote of this supposed chief of the Apostles: `When Peter was at Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed,' (Galatians two 11.) Peter was also sent especially to preach to the Jews and not to the Gentiles Paul, when writing from Rome, sends no salutations from him, which he would have done had Peter been there; indeed he never once mentions his name The third or fourth Christian Bishop of Rome speaks of Saint Paul having suffered martyrdom under the emperors; but, by the way he speaks of Saint Peter, evidently believing that he suffered martyrdom elsewhere in the east, and does not allude to his having been at Rome If, therefore, the very foundations of the pretensions of these august Pontiffs are defective, what can we think of the rest of their claims? However, when I have been some time at Wittemburg, I hope to know more about the matter." CHAPTER TWO "But, my dear young master, if you upset the foundation of our faith, what else have we to build on? I, for one, as an old soldier who has seen the world, say that we can not go on without religion," exclaimed Hans, in a tone which showed the perturbation of his mind "That is right, Hans," answered Eric, "but, my old friend, we not destroy the real foundation of our faith, we only overthrow the false and cunningly-devised superstructure The foundation of our faith is in the sufficient sacrifice once made for man by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on the cross, and the complete justification of all who repent and put faith in that sacrifice That is what Dr Martin Luther teaches He says that no man should venture to come between the sinner and God; that Christ is the only one Mediator the go-between, you understand that He is all-loving, and all-merciful, and all-kind, that by any one else interfering He is insulted, and that all indulgences, penances, works, are the devices of the Evil One to make man lose sight of the full, free, and perfect redemption which Christ has wrought for us." "That sounds like a good doctrine," observed Hans, thoughtfully, "the `pfaffen' will not like it, because it will deprive them of their influence and the chief portion of their gains; but how you know that it is the true one, my young master?" "Because it is in the Word of God, the Bible And I am very certain that God, who has done so much for us, would not have left us without a clear statement of His will clear rules for our guidance, and therefore I believe that the Bible is the Word of God," observed Eric Hans rode on in silence He was meditating on his young master's remarks They had not gone more than a league or two when some sharp cries reached their ears They came from some person before them They rode on, and arrived in sight of a big youth who was belabouring with a thick stick, in the middle of the road, a young boy The boy had something under his cloak, which the youth was insisting on his keeping concealed Eric's generous feelings were at once excited He could never bear to see the strong tyrannising over the weak He rode forward and demanded of the big lad why he was thus ill-treating the little one The youth did not reply, but looked up sulkily at him Eric turned to the little fellow "This is the reason, noble sir," answered the boy, "he is my `bacchante,' and I am a poor little `schutz.' We are poor scholars seeking education at the schools For the protection he affords me he insists that I shall provide him with food Lately his appetite has been very great, and I have not got enough for him, and to-day he insisted on my stealing this goose, and hiding it under my cloak, that if it was discovered I might be punished and he escape." "So, my master, and is this the way you afford your protection?" exclaimed Eric, looking angrily at the big bacchante "What is your name, my little schutz?" he asked of the boy "Thomas Platter," was the answer "I come from Switzerland, and have for long been wandering about, finding it hard to live in one place for want of food." "Then, Thomas Platter, know that I am going to Wittemburg, where there is a good school; and, if you desire it, you shall remain with me and pursue your studies, and if you ever have to beg for bread, it shall be for yourself alone Are you willing to accept my offer?" "Gladly, most noble sir," answered the boy, throwing down the goose and springing out of the way of the big bacchante, who sought to detain him Hans, who once had a little boy who died when he was of the age of Thomas Platter, approved of his young master's generous offer, and undertook to carry the lad behind him on his horse to Wittemburg The bacchante grumbled and looked very angry at this, and threatened to come after Thomas and carry him off; but Eric advised him to make no attempt of the sort as the boy was now under his protection They rode on and left him grumbling and threatening as before Thomas seemed highly pleased at the change He was evidently a sharp, clever little fellow, though simple-minded and ignorant of the world CHAPTER TWO He was the son of a poor shepherd, but the desire to gain knowledge induced him to quit his father's cottage and to go forth in search of that education which he could not gain at home He had met with all sorts of adventures, often very nearly starving, now beaten and ill-used by his bacchante, a big student, from whom he received a doubtful sort of protection, now escaping from him and being taken care of by humane people, wandering from school to school, picking up a very small amount of knowledge, being employed chiefly in singing and begging through the towns to obtain food Such was the type of a travelling student in those days Frequently he had companions, three or four schutzen and twice as many bacchantes, the former performing, in fact, in rough style, the part of fags to the older students The big bacchante, from whom Thomas had escaped, was a relative who had promised to befriend him It was in the unsatisfactory manner described that he had performed his part The next day, as Eric and his companions approached the town of Jena in Thuringia, they overtook a solitary horseman From his appearance he seemed a knight, as he had a long sword by his side, and a red cap on his head, and was habited in hosen and jerkin, with a military cloak over his shoulders, though he was without armour He exchanged courteous salutations with the young noble, and enquired whither he was going On hearing that it was Wittemburg he seemed well pleased "Yes, I am migrating thither from Erfurth, for I desire to study under one whom I consider the great light of the age, Dr Martin Luther," answered Eric "Then you have never met Dr Martin," said the stranger "Not personally, but I know him by his works," answered Eric "That way methinks we may know a man far better than those we may see every day who have written nothing for our instruction Still I desire to go to Wittemburg that I may drink at the fountain's head, and listen to the words which fall from the Doctor's own lips." "Young man," said the stranger, turning a pair of dark, flashing eyes upon Eric, "be assured that if you drink at the Fountain Head the pure spring from which Dr Martin is wont to drink, you will well that is, the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures Of them you can never drink too much, and yet no fountain can afford so satisfactory a draught But beware how you imbibe knowledge from other sources; from the traditions of men; from mere human learning It is the too common want of caution in that respect which leads so many men astray Seek for the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and give your whole heart and soul to the study of the Scriptures In that way you will most assuredly gain the best of all knowledge." Talking in this way, old Hans riding up close behind them, to catch the words which fell from the stranger's mouth, they approached the town Before, however, they could reach it, a fearful storm, which had been threatening for some time, burst upon them They pushed on as fast as their steeds could move, to obtain, as they hoped, shelter in the town, and now Eric perceived that the stranger, whom he had supposed to be a knight, was no very great horseman, and more than once he feared, when a vivid flash of lightning made the animal he bestrode spring on one side, that he would be thrown to the ground; still he kept his seat, nor seemed to think of danger, every now and then addressing Eric on some subject of deep interest On entering the town they found every one keeping holiday, for it was Shrovetide, and mummery and feasting, and amusements of all sorts were going forward No one would attend to them, nor could they obtain accommodation of any sort in the town, even where they could dry their damp clothes At last they were advised to proceed on through the town, where outside the gates, on the other side, they would find an hostelry, the "Black Boar," at which they would obtain accommodation They were not misled The landlord received them courteously, and seemed, by the affectionate greeting he gave their companion, to be well acquainted with him Eric considered that it was too early in the day to stop, and as his and his attendant's horses were fresh, he proposed, after taking some refreshment, to proceed on another stage or two further During the repast the stranger continued the conversation which had been interrupted by their approach to CHAPTER TWO 10 Jena Little Thomas Platter, who was sitting at the table as well as Hans, listened with attentive ear to all that was said When Eric rose to depart, the stranger bade him a cordial farewell "I too am on my way to Wittemburg," he observed, "we may meet there, I hope, ere long, and you will then judge whether the tales that have been told of Dr Martin are true or false." Eric was very much interested in the stranger, and puzzled to know who he could be "He is a man of learning and a man of consequence," he observed as he rode along "I would that I possessed one quarter of his learning How his countenance lights up when he speaks, and how the words flow from his lips He is a man to move his fellow-creatures by his eloquence, or I mistake his looks and mode of utterance." "What think you, my young sir, if he should prove to be Dr Martin himself?" said Hans "It more than once occurred to me that such might be the case; but is Dr Martin likely to be out in these parts, and would he be habited in such a costume as that worn by this stranger?" asked Eric "It was Dr Martin notwithstanding that," exclaimed the little Platter; "you will see, my masters, when we get to Wittemburg, you will see." This incident added very much to the interest of the journey They rode on for some leagues, when, as they were not far off from the place where they purposed resting for the night, they saw a band of horsemen approaching them It was easy to see by their dress and general appearance that he who rode at their head was their lord, with two companions of inferior rank, and that the rest were his retainers They had a particular swaggering look which showed that they belonged to a class of persons common in those days, who followed the fortunes of any lawless noble who could employ them, and were ever ready to commit any deed of violence their master might command Eric kept as close to one side of the road as he could to avoid giving cause of offence They eyed him narrowly as he passed, and especially looked at Hans, who wore the livery of his house "Who can those people be?" asked Eric "Their looks are far from pleasant, nor did they deign to give us the usual salutation which courtesy demands as they rode by." "Alas! I know them well," answered Hans "He who rode at their head is no other than Baron Schenk of Schweinsburg, your father's greatest and, I may say, only enemy If he guesses who you are, my dear young master, I fear that he will not let us escape unmolested; for he is a man who delights in blood and violence, and were not our Castle a strong one, and defended by brave hearts and willing hands, it is my belief that he would long ago have attacked it, and carried off all he could find of value within My advice, therefore, is that we put spurs to our horses, and place as great a distance as we can as soon as possible between him and ourselves Hold on, little Platter, away we go!" "Your advice is good, Hans," said Eric, as he urged on his steed It was likely to be of little avail, however, for at that instant the clatter of horses' hoofs was heard, and looking round they saw that half-a-dozen of the Baron's retainers were spurring after them This, of course, only made Eric and his attendant more anxious than ever to escape Their horses were good ones, and they might still distance their pursuers "Let me drop, kind sir," exclaimed little Platter; "I am only delaying you, and it little matters if I fall into the Baron's hands; I am not worth killing!" Hans laughed, and answered, "You would break your limbs if I let you go, and your weight is but as that of a feather to my old steed Schwartz Hold on boy hold on! We have promised to protect you, and we are not the people to cast you off at the first sign of danger." CHAPTER SIX 27 The minds of the whole household were much agitated by the subjects of which Eric and his friend spoke to them Still more so was the Knight himself the next day, when the colporteur, John Muntz, presented himself at the gate, and, demanding to see him, put into his hand a letter from his own little daughter Ava He read it over and over again, and his countenance beamed with satisfaction He immediately called Eric to him, ordering refreshment to be brought in the meantime for John Muntz in the hall, and desiring him to talk to his people and to sell any of his books if he could Ava, after sending greeting to him and her mother, and love and duty, continued: "And now, dear father, I must tell you that I cannot longer endure this life It was only while I believed that I was doing God service that I loved it Now I am certain that it is directly contrary to His law I have read the New Testament carefully with prayer, and I can find nothing there to sanction it We are told not to bow down to images not to use vain repetitions in prayers; we are employed the greater part of each day in doing these two things We invoke dead saints, we worship the Virgin Mary, we fast, we perform penances to merit heaven, and all the time the Bible tells us that there is but one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, and that by repentance and through faith in Him can we alone become righteous and meet to enter the kingdom or heaven I cannot tell you one-half of the objections I have to remain here There are also eight other nuns who desire to leave, and they have written to their parents to the same effect, though some of them tremble as to what will be the answers; others say that there was so much grief when they went away, that they are certain that there will be rejoicing to get them back I know how sorry you and mother and Laneta were when I left home, that I have no doubt that you will be glad to have me return But how are we to get away? there is the difficulty We know that we are watched, and that every effort will be made to detain us." "I have no doubt that there will!" exclaimed Eric "Sister Ursula, as they call their lady abbess, would move heaven and earth to detain them if she knew that they wished to escape Do not write, lest the letter should fall into the old dame's hands; but let me go with Albert, and depend on it we shall find means before long of letting out the caged birds." The Knight, without saying what Albert proposed, showed Ava's letter to Dame Margaret She was horrified "What! a professed nun break her vows?" she exclaimed "A bride of Christ forsake her bridegroom! Horrible profanity! No I love Ava as my daughter, but I can never receive one who is so utterly neglectful of all her religious obligations You must write and tell her that is impossible to comply with her request I am sure Father Nicholas will agree with me." "Dear wife," said the Knight, calmly, "When I allowed our little Ava to become a nun, it was to secure, as I thought, her happiness in this life and the next She tells us that, in one respect, our object has signally failed, and there is a book I have been reading which convinces me that it will not advance in one single respect our object with regard to the other Therefore, let our dear Ava come home, and you and Laneta receive her as should her mother and sister I mean what I say, Margaret, and advise Father Nicholas to hold his tongue about the matter." The Lady Margaret, watching her lord's eye, and being a discreet woman, came to the conclusion that it would be wise to keep silent, but she secretly resolved to use every exertion to prevent so terrible a scandal taking place in her family The Knight, however, was an old soldier, and suspecting what was passing in the mind of his better half, determined to be beforehand with her "She will be writing to that Sister Ursula to keep the poor little dove under double lock and key," he said to himself "Eric will have a difficulty even to get a sight of her I must tell him what I suspect, and leave it to him to foil the plans of his lady mother; she is a good woman though, an excellent woman in her way, but she would have been much the better it we had never been saddled with Father Nicholas I will make him go the right-about one of these days, when he least expects it, if he does not reform his system And here, Eric you will want money Don't stint in the use of it It will accomplish many things Silver keys open locks more CHAPTER SIX 28 rapidly than iron ones, and I would give every coin I possess to get our dear little Ava back again." Eric and his friend, meantime, were making preparations for their journey, and as soon as their horses could be got ready they rode off They were, however, seen by Dame Margaret, who immediately suspected where they were going Unfortunately, Father Nicholas had just then entered the Castle She forthwith told him all she knew and thought, and urged him to find a quick messenger, who would outstrip the young men and warn the lady abbess Father Nicholas hurried off with a purse which the lady put into his hand, to find a person to carry his message, resolving to take the credit to himself of the information he was sending Ava Lindburg and her companions in the monastery of Nimptsch were eagerly awaiting the reply to the letters they had written to their homes requesting permission to return They were all young, and several of them pretty; but as they had been among the most sincere of the sisterhood, so they had the most rigidly performed all the fasts, penances, vigils, imposed on them, and already the bloom of youth had departed, and the pallor or the ascetic had taken its place Poor girls! they had sought peace, but found none; they desired to be holy, but they had discovered that fasts, penances, and vigils the daily routine of formal services long prayers, oft repeated, had produced no effect; that their spirits might be broken by this system, but that it could change their hearts "We are shut out from the great world, certainly," wrote one of them, "but we have one within these walls, and a poor miserable, trivial, life-frittering, childish, querulous, useless, hopeless set of inhabitants it contains This is not the house of Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus this is not such an abode as Jesus would desire to lodge in If He were to visit us, it would be to tell us to go forth into the world to fulfil our duties as women, not, like cowards, to shrink from them, to fight the good fight of faith, to serve Him in the stirring world into which He came, in which He walked, in which He lived, that He might be an example to us Though He has not come to our convent, He has sent us a message full of love and compassion His Testament, the Gospel and it has given us fresh life, fresh hopes, fresh aspirations; and through its teaching we are sure of the Holy Spirit which He promised Other books have been sent us to assist in opening our eyes We are convinced that this mode of life is not the one for which we were born; that it is a life, not of holiness, but of sin, for it is useless, for it is aimless, for it is against the teaching of the Gospel." The answers came at length Tears flowed from the eyes of some, sobs burst from the bosoms of others, while several turned paler even than before, and their hands hopelessly by their sides Many of the letters were full of kind expressions, while other parents chided their daughters harshly for contemplating the possibility of breaking their vows, and abandoning the life of holiness to which they were devoted; but one and all wound up by declaring that they would not allow such a stigma to rest on their noble families as would arise were they to encourage a daughter to abandon her holy calling Little Ava received no answer to her epistle sent by the colporteur, and she was eagerly looking out for his return He had told her how eagerly her father had bought his books, and she had still some hopes that the reply would be favourable She could not, however, fail to observe the severe look with which the lady abbess regarded her, and she was still more alarmed when she found that her Testament, and several books by Drs Melancthon and Luther, had been taken out of her cell In truth, the lady abbess had received the communication sent by Father Nicholas, and was on the watch, expecting to see the gay young student, Eric of Lindburg, and his companion arrive, intending afterwards to commence a system of severe punishment on the offending Ava The lady abbess was not aware that Ava was only one of many whose eyes had been opened, and who desired their freedom CHAPTER SEVEN 29 CHAPTER SEVEN One bright afternoon, in the month of May, 1524, a light waggon, driven by a venerable-looking person with a long white beard, stopped before the gate of the convent of Nimptsch, and from out of it stepped a merchant of equally venerable and still more dignified appearance He begged the portress to present his humble respects to the lady abbess, with a request that he might be allowed to offer for sale to the noble ladies numerous articles which they might find acceptable The lady abbess, having carefully surveyed the venerable merchant and his driver through a lattice above the gate, was satisfied that they might, without danger, be admitted into the court-yard The horses were, however, somewhat restive, and it required, evidently, all the strength the old driver possessed to keep them quiet while his master took out his bales and boxes, and conveyed them, with somewhat feeble steps, into the room were strangers, such as he, were received An iron grating ran across it, within which the nuns were collected; but there existed a small window, through which articles could be handed for inspection The merchant evidently understood the tastes and requirements of nuns There were silks for embroidery and gold-thread, and beads, and pencils, and brushes, and colours for illuminating missals, and paper and writing materials, and various manufactures for making artificial flowers; he had even spices and mixtures for making confectionery There was linen also, coarse and fine, and all the materials of the exact hue required by the sisters for their dresses; indeed, it would have been difficult to say what there was not in Herr Meyer's waggon which the nuns could possibly require The price, too, at which he sold his goods was remarkably low, and the nuns of Nimptsch were not at all averse to making good bargains Unfortunately, however, he discovered that he had only brought specimens of many of the articles His large waggon he had left at Torgau He would, therefore, take the orders with which the holy ladies might honour him, and return next day with the goods The merchant, Herr Meyer, was better than his word, for he returned the next day not only with the articles ordered, but with many other curious things, which he had brought, he said, for the inspection and amusement of the ladies, and the servants and attendants in the house; the good portress especially was remembered There were carriages and animals which ran along the ground by themselves, and a house in which a door opened, when out of it came a cock which crowed, and then a small bird came out of an upper window and sang, and then a woman looked out to ascertain what the noise was about Numerous toys of a similar character the merchant had brought, he said, from Nuremburg Meantime the horses in the waggon became very frisky, the merchant, therefore, went down, with most of his boxes to help quiet them, he said, leaving the abbess and her nuns busily engaged with the toys; the portress, too, was still watching the cock coming out of the house and crowing, and the bird singing, and the woman looking out to see what it was all about "These horses will be doing some mischief, Karl, if they stay shut up in this court-yard," exclaimed the merchant "I will open the gate, and then if they choose to gallop off they will soon get tired, and you can come back for me and my goods." Suiting the action to the word, he undid the bars of the gate, and Karl drove through, pulling up, however, directly he was outside The portress ran out, for such a thing as allowing a stranger to open the gate was against all rule "Stay, I have some more curious things," said the merchant And he stepped into the waggon Just at that moment something must have startled the horses, for they set off at full speed, the driver in no way attempting to stop them The lady abbess and the nuns looked out through the bars of the windows, expecting to see Herr Meyer, after his horses had had a good gallop, return with the other curiosities he had said he possessed They looked and looked, but they looked in vain At last they came to the conclusion that some accident had happened For this they were very sorry, as they all agreed that a more pleasant-spoken, liberal CHAPTER SEVEN 30 merchant they had never seen The opinions, however, of the lady abbess and some of the elder sisters were somewhat modified, when at vespers, as all the nuns were assembled, Sister Ava, and another young and pretty nun, her great friend, Sister Beatrice, were missing They were not in their cells The whole convent was searched; they were not to be found Never had there been such a commotion among the authorities and elder sisters, though most of the young ones took the matter very quietly, and did not search for what they knew well was not to be found Remembering the warning she had received, the lady abbess had a strong suspicion that Eric Lindburg was at the bottom of the matter This was only the beginning of her troubles Somehow or other, fresh heretical books were introduced into the convent, and the young nuns had so completely mastered the contents of those of which they had been deprived that they were able to discuss them and explain them to the elder sisters Even the abbess herself could not answer many of their arguments which they boldly put forth, nor indeed could the father confessor, nor the other visiting priests Of the last one heartily agreed with them, and the others boldly acknowledged that there was a great deal of truth in what they said Gaining confidence, nine young ladies at last united to support each other, and positively refused to attend mass or any services when adoration was paid to the Virgin Mary or to the saints, and demanded that as their vows were taken in ignorance, and that as they were directly contrary to the Gospel, they should be released from them, and allowed to return into the world to fulfil their duties as virtuous women and citizens Those in authority were astonished and utterly confounded, and hesitated to take any harsh measures Public opinion they well knew outside the convent walls ran pretty strongly in favour of the nuns' opinions As their friends would not receive them at home, the young ladies resolved to repair in a body to some respectable place with order and decency Through some means their resolution was made known to two pious citizens of Torgau, Leonard Koppe and Wolff Tomitzsch, who offered their assistance "It was accepted as coming from God Himself," says an historian of that time Without opposition they left the convent, and Koppe and Tomitzsch received them in their waggon, and conveyed them to the old Augustine convent in Wittemburg, of which Luther at that time was the sole occupant "This is not my doing," said Luther, as he received them; "but would to God that I could thus rescue all captive consciences, and empty all the cloisters The breach is made." Catharine Bora, who afterwards became his wife, found a welcome in the family of the burgomaster of Wittemburg, and the other nuns, as soon as their arrival was known, were gladly received in other families of similar position It may here be remarked that the facts of the case completely refute the vulgar notion, put forth by the enemies of the Reformation, that Luther commenced the work of the Reformation for the sake of enabling himself and other monks and priests to marry His mind was long in doubt whether monks ought to marry Many months after he became acquainted with the excellent Catharine, when his friends pressed him to marry, he replied: "God may change my heart if it is His pleasure, but I have no thought of taking a wife Not that I feel no attractions in that state, but every day I expect the death and punishment of an heretic." Not till more than a year after Catharine Bora had escaped from the convent did she become the wife of Martin Luther CHAPTER EIGHT 31 CHAPTER EIGHT The Count von Lindburg had been anxiously waiting news from Eric, but none had arrived The Lady Margaret had been assured by Father Nicholas that his message had been safely delivered to the Abbess of Nimptsch, and that, in spite of all master Eric and his plausible friend might do, she would take very good care her little prisoner should not escape her The Knight was growing anxious; he was afraid that something had gone wrong, when, one afternoon, a light waggon, the horses which drew it covered with foam, drove up to the gate of the Castle Over the drawbridge it dashed, for the porter did not hesitate to admit it, and a venerable-looking old gentleman, habited as a merchant, descending, handed out two young girls in peasants' dresses The Knight caught sight of the waggon, and hurrying down, one of the girls was soon in his arms "My own Ava! My pet little bird, and you have escaped from your cage! Welcome welcome home, and praised be God who has given me this great blessing!" he exclaimed, again and again kissing her cheek His child wept as she on the old man's neck While this was taking place, the other young lady looked about very much astonished and frightened, though there was nothing particularly to frighten her, and the grave merchant was doing his best to reassure her "Well done, Eric, my boy well done, Albert von Otten!" exclaimed the Knight, when he could bring himself to turn his attention for a moment from his recovered daughter "Oh! thank Albert, father; it was he thought of the plan; he designed the whole of it I merely acted the part he selected for me," answered Eric "I thank him heartily, then; for very well done it has been, and you have both my eternal gratitude," said the Knight "And this young lady, I conclude that she helped you in the undertaking?" "No; it was they helped me to run away, as Ava did not like to go alone, and she promised me an asylum under your roof." "And you shall have it, if the Pope and all the cardinals were to come and demand you They shall pull the walls down before I will give you up And now tell me who you are, my dear fraulein?" "I am Beatrice von Reichenau, of Swabia My father, Count von Reichenau, and my mother decline to receive me, and yet they love me, I am sure; but, alas! they little know the horrors of the life to which they had devoted me." "Better times will come, my sweet fraulein!" said the Knight, who just then saw everything in a bright light Meantime, Dame Margaret, Father Nicholas not being in the Castle, having seen the waggon and the young ladies get out of it, and guessing what had happened, and that her fine scheme had failed, went to the great hall, accompanied by Laneta, that she might receive Ava with becoming dignity, and reprimand her in a manner suitable to her offence She had just taken her post when the Knight entered with timid little Ava clinging to his arm, looking more sweet and lovable than ever in her becoming peasant's dress, and not a bit like a wicked runaway nun As soon as she saw her mother, she ran forward and threw herself into her arms, half weeping and half smiling "Oh, mother mother, I am so thankful to see you again!" she cried CHAPTER EIGHT 32 Dame Margaret began her speech, but it would not come out Nature asserted her rights over bigotry and superstition; she burst into tears, and, folding her daughter to her bosom, exclaimed, "And I, Ava, am glad to have you, darling!" "I always said that she was a good woman, and now I am convinced of it," said the Knight "Father Nicholas has done his best to spoil her, but, thank Heaven! he has not succeeded, and his reign is pretty well over, I suspect." Laneta, who really in her way loved her sister, followed her mother's lead, and embraced Ava affectionately The Dame Margaret was also not a little gratified when she found that her daughter's companion in her flight was so high-born a girl as Beatrice von Reichenau "If a young lady of her rank could such a thing, it surely could not be so very wrong," she said to herself Her reasoning was not very good, but it served just then to smooth matters Ava and her friend were not idle in the Castle, nor did they confine their labours to it Their mild, gentle, subdued manners and earnest and zealous spirits attracted all hearts with whom they came in contact The glorious truths they had received into their own souls they were anxious to impart to others, nor did they feel that any trouble, any exertion, was too great for them to take to forward that object Still it was very evident that to effect any speedy change on a large scale among the peasantry a preacher was required Albert von Otten had been made a priest in the days of his ignorance, before he went to Wittemburg, and he remembered the Knight's offer to let him preach in the neighbouring church Father Nicholas somewhat demurred, but the Knight assured him that Albert von Otten, he was sure, would only preach sound doctrine, and advised him to hold his tongue Such a sermon as Albert preached had never been heard in that church He said not a word about himself He held up but one object Christ Jesus walking on earth, Christ Jesus crucified, Christ rising again, Christ ascending into heaven, Christ sitting on the right hand of God pleading for sinners Then he added: "Dear friends, once a man came among you to sell you what he called indulgences; were they indulgences to commit sin, or indulgences to obtain pardon? What impious imposition! Oh! dear friends dear friends! God's gifts of grace are free are priceless The blood of His only Son purchased them for us once for all Gifts, gifts free, free gifts are what God offers; no selling now, no purchasing now that has all been done Christ has paid the price for every sin that man has committed or ever will commit, and man can by his works not add one jot, one tittle, to that all-sufficient price God's offer is all of free grace Man has but to look to Christ, to repent, to desire to be healed, and he will be forgiven, he will be accepted and received into heaven Dear friends, when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the land of persecution, of slavery, of idolatry, through the wilderness, they were visited by a plague of venomous serpents whose bite sent fiery pains through their bodies, which speedily terminated by their death God then ordered Moses to make a brazen serpent (the serpent being among the Egyptians the emblem of the healing power, which was well understood by them [Note 1]) This serpent he was to raise up on a pole in a conspicuous part of the encampment, and all who simply looked at it, desiring to be healed, were instantly to be healed Moses asked no price, no reward; the bitten sufferers were only to exert themselves to look to ensure being healed Christ Himself told His disciples, `As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so shall the Son of man be lifted up' that was Himself on the cross, `that all' of every tongue, and kindred, and nation, `who believe in Him' that is to say, look on Him as the Israelites at the brazen serpent `shall not perish' shall not die of the fiery bite of sin `but have eternal life.' This is Gospel Gospel truth Then what becomes of indulgences, penances, fasts, invocations to saints, to the Virgin Mary, gifts, alms, if bestowed with the idea of purchasing aught? All useless, vain, insulting to God's generosity, mercy, kindness It is as if a great noble were to pardon a poor man who had grossly offended him, and, moreover, to bestow a favour on him, and the poor man were to offer him a groat as payment, saying, `No, I cannot receive your pardon and your favour as a free gift; I must return you something; indeed, a groat is not much, neither I very greatly value your pardon, because I not CHAPTER EIGHT 33 think my offence was very great, nor your favour, which, after all, is but small.' "`Foolish man,' the lord would say, `I bestowed that pardon and that favour on you in my beneficence I require nothing in return but your gratitude and your obedience, and that you should speak of my name and fame among my other vassals, and live in amity with them, doing them all the service in your power Say, foolish man, what else can a poor, helpless, decrepit, broken-down creature like yourself for me?' What should you say, dear friends, if this poor wretched man were to answer, `No, but there are a set of people in your dominions, who assume to be your ministers, though to be sure they make a mockery of your name and love to send people over to serve your enemies,' I can buy of them what they call indulgences, which they say are much better than your free pardon; besides, I may offend as often as I please, and you will be compelled to forgive me because I have paid them; and if it were not for these indulgences, I could fast, I could beat myself, and perform numberless other penances; I could mumble petitions to you, not thinking of what I was saying; indeed, I have no fear but what I can make ample amends to you for this gift which you have bestowed, for this pardon which you have offered Dear friends, you will say what a weak, conceited, foolish, impudent wretch is that man of whom you speak; and yet what are you doing when you perform penances, and fasts, and such-like works? What did you when you purchased that mountebank impostor Tetzel's indulgences? Confess confess that he swindled you out of your money, but O not, by trusting to them, which you might as well as a sinking man to a feather or a straw in the raging ocean, allow the arch-deceiver Satan to swindle you out of your souls." This address, of which many similar were delivered at that time throughout Germany and Switzerland, produced a great effect in the village No one heard it more eagerly, or with greater delight, than Ava and her companion It brought out clearly so much of what they had read in the convent "God's free grace! God's free grace!" they repeated to each other "Oh, what a loving, merciful God he must be!" It made Father Nicholas very uncomfortable Had he, then, all his life been encouraging a system of imposture? It was a question he would have to answer somehow Dame Margaret also went back to the Castle sorely troubled in mind She thought that she had by purchasing Tetzel's indulgences, secured the salvation of herself and all her family She was fond of a bargain, and she thought that really she had made a good one by the expenditure or a few gold ducats, considering the advantage to be gained And now she was afraid that she, and her husband, and children were no nearer heaven than they were before she had bought the indulgences; and from the description Tetzel gave of it, purgatory must be a very disagreeable place, but she comforted herself by thinking that Tetzel might have imposed on his hearers in that matter also As, however, there was no lack of Testaments in simple, clear German, and parts of the Bible also, and Albert, and Eric, and Ava, and Beatrice too, able and anxious to explain it, gradually both Dame Margaret's and Laneta's eyes were opened, and their faith in the system to which they had before clung was greatly shaken Father Nicholas, however, could not be so easily turned from his old notions, and now came that terrible convulsion caused by the outbreak of the peasantry and the sad blood-shedding which followed "Ah," he exclaimed, triumphantly, "see the work which Luther and his followers have produced!" "No such thing," answered the Knight, indignantly; "you ought to know that these attempts were commenced long before Dr Luther was heard of Discontent has been fermenting among them for many years They have some reason and a great deal of folly on their side They have done their work like foolish savages as they are, and they will suffer the fate of fools, though, in the meantime, they may a great deal of mischief." -Note An interpolation of the author's, this fact probably not being known in Luther's days CHAPTER NINE 34 CHAPTER NINE It was at the eventful period described in the last chapter that the Count von Lindburg was first introduced to the reader, leaning on his elbow, with a book before him, in his turret-chamber He had great cause for thoughtfulness Eric and Albert had gone to Wittemburg Ava and Beatrice had continued earnestly labouring among the surrounding peasantry, and the minds of the poor people had been awakened by Albert's sermons with great success; Dame Margaret and Laneta continued wavering; and Father Nicholas, though he did not openly oppose the Gospel, persevered in all his old practices, and remained ready to take the winning side Public events were one cause of the Knight's anxiety, and, besides, it was rumoured that insurgents were appearing in his neighbourhood, threatening to attack his, among other surrounding castles It would be wrong to deny that the Reformation was not in a certain degree connected with the rebellion of the peasants, but in this manner: the liberty which the Gospel demands for all men when the spirit of that Gospel is received into their hearts, makes them ready to submit to rulers and endure persecutions patiently; but when, though men know its truths, their hearts have not been regenerated, they being aware of their rights as men appeal to the sword to obtain them Certain fanatics, also, had appeared, who, though professing to found their doctrines on the Bible, were greatly opposed to the principles of the Gospel The most notorious of these was Thomas Munzer, pastor of Alstadt, in Thuringia; another was John Muller, of Bulgenbach, in the Black Forest, the inhabitants of which he rallied round him, and raised the standard of rebellion Here the insurrection began On the 19th of July, 1524, some Thurgovian peasants rose against the Abbot of Reichenau, who would not accord them an evangelical preacher Ere long thousands were collected round the small town of Tengen, to liberate an ecclesiastic who was there imprisoned The revolt spread rapidly, from Swabia as far as the Rhenish Provinces, Franconia, Thuringia, and Saxony At Weinsberg, Count Louis, of Holfenstein, and seventy men under his orders, were condemned to death by the rebels A body of peasants drew up with their pikes lowered, whilst others drove the Count and his soldiers against this wall of steel At the approach of the peasants, the cities that were unable to resist them opened their gates and joined them Wherever they appeared they pulled down the images and broke the crucifixes Many nobles, some through fear and others from ambition, joined them In vain Luther wrote to them, "Rebellion never produces the amelioration we desire, and God condemns it What is it to rebel if it be not to avenge one's self? The devil is striving to excite to revolt those who embrace the Gospel, in order to cover it with opprobrium; but those who have rightly understood my doctrine not revolt." At length the princes threw off their lethargy; the imperial forces marched to encounter the peasants, and defeated them in every direction The nobles were soon victorious, and retaliated with most terrible severity on the misguided men The peasants were up by hundreds at the roadside, the eyes of numbers were put out, and some were burnt alive, and in all parts of the country the Romish style of worship was re-established Still the rebellion was far from being stamped out, and large bodies of insurgents were in arms in different parts of the country besides those in the neighbourhood of the Castle of Lindburg The Knight had done his best to put his Castle in a state of defence, and his own tenantry promised to come in and fight to the last gasp should it be attacked Ava and Beatrice, notwithstanding the state of things, went about the country as before, fearless of danger "We are doing our duty," they answered, when Dame Margaret expostulated with them; "we are carrying out the work to which we devoted our lives, in helping our suffering fellow-creatures, in making known the love of God through His dear Son, and He will protect us." The Knight, as I have said, having done all that a man could do, sat down in his study, to quiet his mind by reading He found it, however, a difficult task Even when he managed to keep his eyes on the page, his mind let them labour alone, and refused to take in the matter they attempted to convey It was a positive relief when he heard a horse's hoofs clattering into the court-yard He hurried down to hear the news brought by the horseman It was truly alarming The scout who had been sent out by the Knight to gain information, stated CHAPTER NINE 35 that a body of some thousand men were advancing, threatening to destroy all the Castles in the district, and that Lindburg was the first on their line of march Not a moment was to be lost He instantly sent out messengers, some to summon his retainers, and others to bring in provisions The drawbridge was raised, the gates secured Dame Margaret and Laneta were greatly alarmed Father Nicholas, who had arrived with all the ornaments of the Church, and as much as his mule could carry, urged the ladies, and all he could get to listen to him, to invoke the protection of the saints "These new-fangled doctrines brought about all these disorders; ergo, you must go back to the old system to avert them, if it is not already too late." The Knight advised him to talk sense or keep silence, but the time was opportune, he thought "Religion must be supported," he answered, meaning the Romish system, "or we shall be undone." From the top of the watch-tower a cloud of dust was seen rising It was caused by the insurgent peasants, horse and foot, approaching "Poor people, they have many real causes of complaint I wish they had remained quiet, for their own sake, and allowed the law to right them," observed the Knight "Let us pray for them that their hearts may be changed, and that they may see their folly and wickedness," said Ava; and Beatrice repeated the sentiment Just then three horsemen were seen approaching the Castle at full speed The Knight soon recognised his son and Albert von Otten; the other was a stranger "Ah, they come to bring us the aid of their swords," exclaimed the Knight "Three gentlemen will be a host in themselves when opposed to those unhappy serfs." The drawbridge was lowered to admit them Eric directed that it should be left down, as they were going again to sally forth immediately He embraced his father and mother and sisters, and he might have said a few words to Beatrice, as certainly Albert did to Ava, and Eric introduced the stranger as Frederick Myconius, professor of divinity "Welcome, gentlemen; but I thought, I confess, that you were fighting men come to aid in defence of the Castle I was counting on your good swords." "Our good swords you shall have, father," answered Eric, taking off the belt to which the scabbard of his weapon "But we ourselves cannot wield them We go forth with other weapons than those of steel, and trusting to other strength than an arm of flesh to quell these misguided men Dr Myconius will address them, as Dr Martin Luther has already addressed thousands, and turned them aside from their purpose of vengeance We have, though, no time to lose." "Go forth, my son go forth, my friends; I feel sure that God, who sees all our actions, will protect you with His Almighty arm in so noble and pious an object," exclaimed the Knight, holding the sword which had been given to him The three brave young men rode forth from the Castle unarmed, and hastened towards the rebel host They well knew the danger, humanly speaking, to which they were exposing themselves, but not for a moment did they hesitate doing what they knew to be right They were soon face to face with the insurgent band, led on by a man in a red cloak and hat and white plume They were a wild savage set of beings in appearance Many a bold man might have hesitated to encounter them Those who now advanced to meet them trusted not in their own strength to deliver them Dr Myconius rode first As he drew close to the insurgents, he lifted up his arm and said, "Bear with me, dear friends, while I address a few words to you, and ask you what you seek? what CHAPTER NINE 36 are you about to do? what object you desire to gain? Is it one well-pleasing to God, or is it not rather one He abhors? Is it revenge? The Gospel of Jesus Christ will not permit its indulgence Is it to overthrow principalities and powers? The Gospel orders us to obey them Is it to oppose the power of the Papacy? The light of truth can alone that Is it lust, rapine, murder, you desire to commit? Those who such things can never inherit the kingdom of heaven Listen, dear friends, to those who love you, who feel for you, who know that you have souls to be saved precious souls above all price in God's sight, for them He sent down His Son on earth to suffer far more wrongs than you have ever suffered Endanger not these precious souls by the acts you contemplate Turn aside from your purpose, fall on your knees, and pray to God to enlighten your minds, to give you patience above all things to bear your sufferings here for a short time, that, trusting in the merits of Christ Jesus, who once suffered for you, and now reigns and pleads for you, you maybe raised up to dwell with Him, to reign with Him in happiness unspeakable for ever and ever." Such was the style of eloquence with which one of the great leaders of the Reformation addressed the lately infuriated insurgents It went to their hearts; they acknowledged its truth, the power from which it flowed, and yielded to its influence Peaceably they divided into small parties; thus they returned to their villages, to their separate homes, speaking as they went of the love of Christ, and the sufferings He had endured for their sakes, and praying that they too might endure any sufferings it might please their heavenly Father to call on them to bear with patience for His sake, that thus the Christian character might be exalted in the eyes of the world The three friends returned to the Castle The success of their undertaking was heard of with astonishment The Knight went to his Testament, and came back exclaiming, "I see, I see, it was the right way to it It was the way Jesus Christ would have acted, and I doubt not He was with you to counsel and guide you." Dame Margaret and Laneta, and even Father Nicholas, confessed that the mode they had employed with Dr Martin Luther and others, to put down the insurrection, was far more satisfactory and sensible than that which the Roman Catholic nobles and knights had pursued with cannon-balls, bullets, and sharp swords The two ladies at length, through the gentle influence of Ava and Beatrice, completely abandoned the errors of Rome, and embraced the truths of evangelical religion Father Nicholas, still clinging to the idolatry to which he had been accustomed, was compelled to give up his cure, and thankfully accepted a small pension from the Knight, on condition that he should keep silence till he had learned the truth Albert von Otten, notwithstanding his rank, gladly became the humble pastor of Lindburg, and little Ava as gladly became his most efficient helpmate, while Beatrice von Reichenau married Eric The Knight arrived at a green old age, and though there was little peace in the world, he found it in his home and in his heart, and saw his grandchildren grow up pious Christians and sound brave Protestants End of Project Gutenberg's Count Ulrich of Lindburg, by W.H.G Kingston *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COUNT ULRICH OF LINDBURG *** ***** This file should be named 23191.txt or 23191.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/1/9/23191/ Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England Updated editions will replace the previous one the old editions will be renamed Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and 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other form Any alternate format must include... also As, however, there was no lack of Testaments in simple, clear German, and parts of the Bible also, and Albert, and Eric, and Ava, and Beatrice too, able and anxious to explain it, gradually